‘US can’t afford more war and aggression, people want peace with Iran’

Caleb Maupin is a radical journalist and political analyst who lives in New York City. Originally from Ohio, he studied political science at Baldwin-Wallace College. In addition to his journalism, analysis, and commentary, he has engaged in political activism. He is a youth organizer for the International Action Center and was involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement from its planning stages in August 2011. He has worked against police brutality, mass incarceration, and imperialist war. He works to promote revolutionary ideology, and to support all who fight against the global system of monopoly capitalist imperialism.

Iranians and Americans want peace, but a small but very wealthy and powerful group of oil corporations and military contractors in alliance with Israel want further hostilities throughout the Middle East, claims Caleb Maupin, International Action Center.

A large number of
Republicans are opposing the nuclear deal with Iran and
threatening to block it. Following them, some individual American
states say that they may keep up their own sanctions against
Iran.

RT:So we're hearing that individual states
may keep their own sanctions against Iran. How likely is that to
scupper the deal?

Caleb Maupin: It’s important to be clear that at
no point in US history and nowhere in the US constitution is the
establishing of foreign policy ever delegated to local and state
governments. That has always been exclusively the power of the
Federal government. This is yet another maneuver by a cartel of
criminal profiteers to try and sabotage any hope for peace
between the US and Iran. Many people around the world rejoiced
when they heard that the deal had been reached. Yet, the
relentless efforts of certain forces to prevent peace and
cooperation between countries; and further war and aggression
around world- they continue. And we shouldn’t really be
surprised.

RT:Could these few individual states in
America derail the process? Do they have the power within
themselves to disrupt the agreements that have been reached?

CM: Under the authority of the constitution they
certainly don’t have the authority to do that. But will they be
allowed to continue and try and undermine the efforts going on
right now- we will have to see. There is a really a criminal
cartel, a section of the wealthy in the US. This is the oil
corporations, the military contractors in alliance with the
Israeli government and their network of supporters around the
world. They are doing everything they can to try and prevent any
peace and cooperation between the US and Iran. Civilized people
are all over the world want peace and cooperation between nations
- this is a basic thing. People in the US with high levels of
unemployment, food banks all across this country are having a
record demand, as there is a record amount of food insecurity all
across this country. We can’t afford more war and aggression.
People in the US want peace with Iran. People in Iran want peace
with the US; they don’t want to be attacked, they don’t want to
be the subject of further sanctions.

The forces that want war are very small but they are also very
wealthy and very powerful. This is the struggle of the people
against the forces of wealth and power that very much want to
further hostility throughout the region. Right now the US is in
alliance with Saudi Arabia. As Saudi Arabia murders civilians
left and right in Yemen. People are dying. Yet, the US is worried
about Iran; yet, there is a talk of attacks on Iran. Who is the
real source of aggression in the region?

RT:In addition to those individual states
we already know that a large number of Republicans are against
this deal too. They say that they are afraid that Iran will
“continue to sponsor terrorism.” The breakthrough agreement seems
doomed doesn't it?

CP: The notion that Iran is sponsoring terrorism
is an extreme mischaracterization. It is very common throughout
the US press. In Bahrain, for example, the Shia community there
which is the majority of the people is highly discriminated
against... And if you were to believe what CNN, Fox News, and
MSNBC were saying, you would think that the only reason people in
Bahrain are rebelling against an absolute monarchy is because
Iran told them to or something like that. That is outrageous.

All throughout the Middle East there are many countries with
complex political situations. There are many people throughout
the region who don’t like living under US-backed autocracies like
the Saudi Arabia monarchy, or the regimes that they prop up
throughout the region and they may be in rebellion. But this is
not because Iran told them to. There are people all throughout
the Middle East who are upset about the fact that Wall Street
controls their oil resources and that people throughout the
Middle East are hungry and starving while they have so much oil.
These are very wealthy countries. Yet, the wealth of these
countries is not under the control of their people. To
characterize Iran as sponsoring terrorism is outrageous,
especially when the US government and Israel are in alliance with
the Mojahedin-e-Khalq which is a vile terrorist organization that
has assassinated and murdered people. And the US and the Israeli
government are working with them to destabilize Iran.

The US is also working with Jundallah which is the terrorist
organization that has been attacking Iran as well. Terrorist
attacks have been taking place in Iran by US backed forces. Yet,
Iran has attacked no one. Iran hasn’t attacked any of its
neighbors, Iran want to live in peace. It is a country that is
trying to survive. This is a country that was born in a
revolution and in which the forces of wealth and power and Wall
Street were kicked out, and they began with nationalized oil
resources to develop independently. And of course that is a
threat to any of the rich and powerful countries in the West
because if one country can break free, other countries can break
free, as well. The attack on Iran is an attempt to stifle
independent economic development.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.